Premier League 2021/22 Season Review

Premier League 2021/2022 Season Review

Premier League trophy

The Premier League 2021/22 season has come to an end with Manchester City winning the title on the final day of the season, following a chaotic match against Aston Villa. Pep Guardiola’s side were 2-0 down going into the final fifteen minutes of the game. Two close range goals from Ilkay Geundogan and a crisp strike from holding midfielder Rodri clinched City’s eighth league title.

Both Manchester City and Liverpool went into the final day of the season with a chance of winning the league. City started the game on 90 points meanwhile Jurgen Klopp’s reds started the game on 89 points. Liverpool were level with Wolves at the half way point in their game and Manchester City were 1-0 down. This meant that the title would have been decided by goal difference, in which case City would have won by a goal difference of six.

Anfield Stadium home of Liverpool Football Club Credit: Tom PenningtonAt the other end of the table Norwich and Watford went into their respective games with Tottenham and Chelsea. The first game finished five-nil with Spurs getting the final Champions League spot and Chelsea defeated the hornets two-one.

Burnley faced a Newcastle side with only eleventh place at stake for the magpies. The away side took a two-nil lead at Turf Moor, but a late reply from Maxwell Cornet made things tense in the fight against relegation. Over in London, Leeds United face Brentford in the hope to stave off relegation. Leeds needed to win and hope that Burnley couldn’t match their result. Leeds were the ones that prevailed in the battle and will face at least one more season in the top tier of English football. Meanwhile, Burnley will be in the Championship and will have to also repay a £65 million loan following Alan Pace’s takeover of the club last year.

Winners and Losers this season

Winners:

Manchester City

The blue half of Manchester had yet another stellar Premier League campaign, managing to accumulate 93 points. Pep Guardiola has done a smart job in keeping the club at the top of the table for so long, and even though they let a 13 point lead slip in the title race, they held their nerve.

Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp has done a remarkable job with the reds again this season. They managed to make up lost ground in the title race and already have the EFL and FA cup in their hands. The German will look to lead his side to another Champions League win on the 28th of May. Even though they didn’t win the league, it’ll be seen as a very good season for the side.

Tottenham Hotspur

Antonio Conte has led Spurs to fourth position in what turned out to be a remarkable fight from the London side. When Nuno Espirito Santo was in charge earlier in the season, it looked like the fight had been drained out of the team. But as soon as Conte took over there was a sense that he might propel them to glory. Fourth in the table didn’t seem likely, but they have achieved it in style.

Brighton

A ninth placed finish for Graham Potter’s side is a very impressive feat. The seagulls have struggled for home form this season, but managed to win three out of their last four league games. With a much inferior side than the teams surrounding them, Brighton will be delighted with their finishing place in the league.

Losers:

Burnley

At the beginning of the season Burnley were hoping to avoid relegation. Having only managed one win before Christmas, normally alarm bells would be ringing. But Burnley and Sean Dyche had been in this position before. There wasn’t any panic until the untimely sacking of Dyche. After this there was an upturn in form however, but two defeats in the last two games made sure of relegation.

Everton

Having begun the season with ambitions of challenging for Europe. But quickly the lack of quality in the squad became apparent. With former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez at the helm, tension began rising in the fanbase. Everton then sacked Benitez and appointed Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. Lampard changed the club fortunes and guaranteed safety in the last week of the season. Although Premier League safety is a relief, this season has been a disaster.

Aston Villa

Jack Grealish’s departure in the summer left many speculating how Villa would manage this season. The club reinvested the funds gained from their former captain and brought in players such as Phillipe Coutinho. This season was seen as one in which they could challenge for Europe. But they have struggled and finished the season in an underwhelming 14th.

Manchester United

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had high hopes for his Manchester United side at the start of the season. The club recruited Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer. The belief was that these signings could propel the club into a title race with Manchester City and Liverpool. However, it became clear quickly that there would be no Premier League trophy at Old Trafford. After a poor run of form Solskjaer was sacked and interim manager Ralf Rangnick was placed in charge. Rangnick has failed to get a tune out of the squad. Despite losing one-nil to Crystal Palace on the final day of the season, the club managed to get Europa League football. A hugely disappointing season.

The 2021/22 Premier League season has been fascinating once again. The title race and fight against relegation both went down to the final day of the season. There is no doubt that the league will serve up more edge of the seat moments next season.